Family Hunting Trip
by SiriuslyPeeved
Summary: Season 13 AU: Follow-up to Care and Feeding. Reunited, the little family tries to adjust to their new circumstances while protecting Jack from the hostile world around them. Developing Dean/Castiel.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** Starting on the sequel to Care and Feeding! I was going to wait until I had more of it finished, but I am in a writing mood so I should be able to keep up. I should have weekly (or possibly more frequent) updates until I let you know otherwise.

* * *

Sam heard the unmistakable sound of little footsteps running down the echoing tile hallway and smiled to himself. Sam never knew what he was going to see when Jack came into the kitchen in the morning. Whether he would have grown again, whether the floppy-haired boy would have changed into an awkward teenager or a full-on adult. Every time Jack came into the kitchen in his Ninja Turtle pajamas, yawning and reaching for the corn flakes, or sometimes hugging Sam tight around the waist, Sam always had to wonder whether that was the last time.

"Good morning," said Sam, reaching out to catch Jack in a hug. Jack sat down on the stool next to Sam and leaned into the embrace.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Cereal and toast. Somebody is going to have to go into town today."

Jack scooted forward on the round stool and looked expectantly at Sam. Sam sighed and got up to fix the kid some breakfast.

Cas came into the kitchen looking for coffee. When he found cold dregs in the pot, he made a disapproving face and went to empty the grounds into the trash and refill the pot.

Sam placed a cereal bowl in front of Jack, and the kid began to eat sloppily. "What have you and Dean got going on today?"

Cas stood waiting for the coffee to perk with a tense expression on his face. "Yesterday he said something about looking for a case. I think he needs to get out of the bunker."

"Yeah, I agree. I've got some leads if you want to take a look after breakfast."

With fresh coffee, Cas settled down at the table opposite from Jack. "I want to try some more stuff with my grace today," the kid announced. "Can we?"

Over the past week since returning from New Hampshire, Cas and Jack had started in on "angel lessons." Sam liked to be close enough to hear what the heavenly — or semi-heavenly — pair were talking about.

Sometimes these lessons had unfortunate side effects, like when Jack made a large hole in the floor in the library when he was trying to levitate the globe. Dean was pissed and made Jack help him fix it, though Cas kept standing around and offering to do it himself.

"Stop hovering," Dean had ordered Cas, "I'm not going to do anything to the kid. Next time use something a little less breakable for your party tricks."

"I'm done," Jack said, jumping up from the table and heading for the door.

"Jack! Clean up your bowl!" Sam called. The bowl, spoon, and juice glass lifted themselves off the table and flew toward the sink. "Not so fast — Jack!"

Cas intervened, slowing the dishes before they crashed into the wall over the sink. "We're still working on that," Cas said with a hint of a smile.

"No harm, no foul," Sam said in more of a relaxed tone than he felt. Cas finished his coffee and rinsed the cup, setting it carefully in the sink. "Listen, Cas, can I talk to you?"

Cas turned around with a curious expression. "About what?"

"It's about Dean. Has he said anything to you? It seems like he has been on your case lately."

"He has been quite distant and defensive since we got back. I thought it might have been a result of the shock."

So it isn't just me, Sam thought. Cas had noticed it too. "I can talk to him if you want."

"I'd appreciate that."

"Maybe we should go look at the case stuff now?"

Cas agreed. Sam grabbed his laptop from his room and settled down at a library table. Cas pulled up a chair next to him. "There were two that I thought sounded up our alley. This one is in Kansas City. Four disappearances. Could be vamps, but the pattern doesn't seem quite right."

Cas took the laptop from Sam and scrolled through the story. "Not much to go on."

"And there's this other one in Iowa. Haunted library. Sounds like a cursed object."

"Neither one of those cases sounds very exciting."

"Sometimes you gotta go with what you have," Sam said. "There might be more going on. You guys should go check it out."

"I don't think Dean would want me to go."

"Why not? Of course he would!"

Cas sighed. "Every time I think I understand your brother, he changes. When I first came back, he was very much in need of reassurance, which I was happy to give. But now he pushes me away."

"Yeah, I've got nothing," Sam said, a little depressed. "I thought having you back would make him happy."

Just then, Dean appeared in the library, coming around the corner from the kitchen with coffee and toast in his hands.

"Good morning Dean," said Cas. Dean half-smiled in response. "Sam says he has some cases for us."

Sam was impressed that Cas just went for it. "Can't go out on a case," Dean said with his mouth full of toast. "We have to watch the kid."

"I can handle Jack on my own," Sam said, "You guys need to get out of here for a few days. Stretch your legs."

Dean looked skeptically at Sam. "What's your hurry to get rid of us?"

"I'm not in a hurry. I've just noticed that you are acting totally weird and the best way for you to work off steam is to go chop off some heads."

Dean had to chuckle at that. He took a bite of toast and talked with his mouth full. "I can handle a hunt on my own, Sam. Nobody has to babysit me."

"I don't want to intrude," Cas said quickly. "I'll stay with Jack and Sam." It was plain that Dean didn't want to be alone with Cas, but Cas was giving up way too easy.

Dean finished his coffee and leaned back in his chair. "I have a better idea, let's all go. Jack needs to get out of here too, get some fresh air. The kid is going to grow up like Batman."

"Aren't you worried that somebody will find Jack?" Sam objected.

"We can't keep him walled up in here, mama bear. He deserves to have a life too."

To Sam's surprise, Cas agreed. "I can help him try to cloak his powers so he's not detected. If anything goes wrong, we will all be there."

"Fine," Sam sighed. "I just hope this isn't a colossally bad idea."

"I'll go tell Jack," Dean said.

Sam was surprised again. "I think he's watching TV."

Dean headed off in the direction of the TV room. Sam had serious misgivings about the plan for a family hunting trip, but Dean was right, they were giving Jack a warped view of the world by making him stay in the bunker all the time.

Cas sat hunched over at the table with his cold coffee cup in both hands. "I hope a hunt will take Dean's mind off things. I'm worried about him."

"You and me both," Sam said, getting up to refill his coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** Enjoy a little family and road trip fluff!

* * *

"For the last time, I am not going to take Jack down to the firing range before we go. Are you out of your freaking mind?" Sam slammed the Impala's trunk closed.

Dean scowled. "Dad had me shooting when I was six."

"Again — I'm not Dad!"

"At least don't slam the trunk. Don't take your feelings out on my Baby." Dean patted her in apology. "Listen, I'll be in the car. Get the angels moving. We're going to lose a whole day if they don't hurry up."

Sam rolled his eyes and went back into the bunker to look for Cas and Jack. Cas was carefully packing some choice reference materials to use in his angelic education project. Jack was laying on the floor under the library table, zooming Hot Wheels around.

"Is Dean ready to go?"

"Yeah. Chomping at the bit. He sent me in here to hurry you guys along."

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"Kansas City. Not too far."

"That's good. I really don't like long car rides."

Sam couldn't help laughing. "Hunting may not be the career for you, then."

"I suspect that you can fly," Cas reminded Jack.

Jack was impressed. "Can you fly, Father?"

"Not anymore. But that's a long story. I'll tell you when you're older."

Jack made a disgusted face that was one hundred percent Dean. "That's what you always say."

"Hey," said Sam, hoping to distract Jack from his ever-insistent questions, "Did you pack some books that aren't about angels?"

"Dean told me to bring one about vampires, but I told him that seemed unwise."

"Wait, I've got some books for you to bring. Hang on just a minute."

Sam hurried off to his room and found three well-worn paperbacks. He presented them to Jack, smiling sheepishly. "My three favorite books from when I was a kid."

Jack crawled out from under the table, coming up all dusty. Sam swiped at the fuzz and dirt on Jack's clean shirt. Dean was supposed to have mopped this floor. Normally he was a neat freak, but his rhythm had been off ever since Cas died and came back.

"_The Hobbit_," Jack read off from the book covers, "_The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe_, and _The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler_. Weird name!"

"That's the greatest book, though. It's about these two kids who run away from home and live in an art museum."

"Is that the best choice of subjects for a children's book?" Cas asked.

"It's about freedom and adventure and self-reliance. Good message, I think. Except for the part about running away, because we would miss you too much." Sam smiled at Jack. "Go change your shirt and then we have to go. Dean is probably having a coronary up there."

The four of them made it out of the bunker only an hour and a half later than planned. "We're going to have to check into the motel before we make our first stop at the police station. Actually, that works great because somebody can stay with Jack and we don't have to bring him with us to the station."

"What, little kids can't be FBI agents?" Dean quipped.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, that would go over real well."

Dean pulled up to the garage door, opened it with the fancy Men of Letters key, drove through, and locked it behind them. Jack sat in his booster seat and watched avidly.

Cas turned to Jack. "You're going to have to learn about warding spells. I'll put together some lessons for you. Can you read Enochian?"

"Uh… I dunno?"

Cas took a pad and pencil out of his bag. In his precise handwriting, he inscribed a few Enochian letters.

"Oh! Does that say 'Hi Jack?'"

Sam turned to the back seat and smiled. "Have I told you how much I appreciate you, Cas?"

"No?" Cas tilted his head, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Well, I should say it. I was complete crap at teaching Jack about angel things. But now that you're here you can do it right."

"I hope so. There's too much at stake to get it wrong."

Dean pulled out of the tunnel into the driveway, and the air shimmered with heat. It was one of those ultra-still Kansas summer days when it was so hot, nothing moved, even the air. Dean cranked up the air conditioner.

"I have to pee," Jack whined from his booster seat.

"Seriously? We just left the house," Dean objected.

"I didn't have to go then."

Sam smiled at Jack. "Okay, we'll stop in town. Can you hold it for ten minutes?" Jack nodded tensely.

"Well, this trip is starting off with a bang," Dean complained fifteen minutes later, placing a full bag of snacks carefully on the bench seat. "By the time we get to KC, the vamps will have blood-sucked the entire city."

Cas came back from the bathroom with Jack and ended up with a full-on lecture about hand washing. "Your human side can probably catch human diseases. I don't know what kind of protective effect your angelic nature might have."

Jack made a face. "Hey, food!" He brightened when he saw Dean's snack bag. Dean reached inside and tossed the boy a small gold-wrapped bag of gummy bears. "Thanks, Dean!"

Sam grinned. Dean might be acting weird around Cas, but he was treating Jack like a person and that was major progress.

After everyone had gotten their preferred drinks and snacks, along with Cas's coffee, they headed out on US 36 toward Kansas City. "You're not taking 24?" Sam questioned.

"I want to get to the station tonight. Plus, this way there are more places to stop for the kid."

"Huh. Okay," said Sam, turning halfway around to catch Cas's eye. The angel smiled back. It was nice to see Dean thinking about Jack's comfort.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" Jack wanted to know. He held his bag of gummy bears in one hand and his face was incredibly sticky.

"We're going to investigate some deaths. Sounds like vampires, but that might not be what's going on." Dean adjusted his rear-view mirror.

"What do vampires do?"

Cas launched into a detailed and somewhat gory description. Sam stopped him a few sentences into it. "Wait, Cas. Jack doesn't need to know the details. That's intense for a kid."

Dean objected. "You found out about monsters when you were a kid. So did I."

"Yes, but I was a couple of years older. It made a lot of difference." Sam never forgot the fear and despair he felt when he found out what Dean and Dad were doing when they left him behind.

"I want to know, Father," said Jack, sticky fingers pulling at Cas's sleeve.

Sam and Cas had a sudden but intense stare-off. To Sam's surprise, Cas looked away first. "I think we have to go along with Sam on this one. You can learn some other time."

"Aww!" Jack was disappointed.

"Thanks Cas," Sam said, feeling relieved.

"You've been raising him, and I think you've done an excellent job. Of course, your wishes need to be taken into consideration."

Sam felt warm inside at Castiel's words. As usual, their painfully honest angel friend had gotten right to the point, refusing to waste time on human hemming and hawing. It was awesome to have him back.

They had a super short drive today of only four hours, but they switched drivers in Marysville. Dean settled into the passenger seat, trying his best to pretend that Cas wasn't there.

"Don't you think so, Dean?" asked Cas at the tail end of an explanation of the difference between angels and archangels.

Dean had been pretending to sleep behind his sunglasses, but he perked up at the mention of his name. "Um, sorry. I wasn't listening."

"There are few angels left — archangel power is truly special. As a nephilim, you are more powerful than an archangel," Cas said matter-of-factly.

"Wow, really?"

"Stop it, you're going to give the kid a swelled head," Dean objected.

"On the contrary, I believe he has to know. He's going to have to learn the basics of self-defense and tapping into his power. If something happens to me again —"

Dean responded quickly, his voice sounding higher than normal. "We don't have to talk about this."

"In front of Jack?"

"Like, ever. Fuck it." Dean's anger grew, and he hunched down in the passenger seat.

"Language," Sam snapped.

"Excuse my French," Dean muttered.

"Jack already has some instinctive defenses," Sam explained to Cas. "They're like frequency waves. He can smite angels and demons and vaporize their vessels."

"Good. We will have to work on harnessing that."

"Can I help on the hunt then?"

"No!" Sam said at the same time as Dean said yes. Jack looked back and forth between them. "There will be plenty of time for you to hunt, buddy. Your job right now is to learn and to be a kid. And my job is to drive the car, so pipe down back there."

"Ok, Dad," Dean laughed.

Sam chuckled too. The Dad things coming out of his mouth had only picked up in pace. Maybe he did understand his dad a little better now. That thought made tears burn in his eyes, but he cleared his throat and got on with it.

"Are we going to stop soon? I'm hungry," Jack piped up.

"You're always hungry," Dean said in a fond tone of voice. "You know what? I'm always hungry, too. When can we eat?"

"Didn't you want to go to the station first?" Sam reminded him.

"Oh. Yeah. Let's drop you guys off at the hotel so we can get in our Fed suits," Dean said to Cas. "I want to get to the station before the detective clocks out."

Cas looked up a promising motel on his phone. "The La Quinta Inn is only a few minutes from the station."

"That's going to be expensive."

"Yes, but you don't want Jack in a seedier place, do you?" Cas asked.

"Well, no. But all motels are pretty seedy. Drug deals, prostitutes, you name it."

"Just take the La Quinta," Sam said, getting annoyed with the bickering between Dean and Castiel. "At least it's more likely to be clean." Dean backed down.

"Take the next exit," Cas directed.

It was even hotter in Kansas City than in Marysville. They managed to check into the motel without incident, though the desk clerk couldn't get enough of Jack. "Your son is so cute!" the young woman gushed.

Jack stood on tiptoes and looked at the desk clerk. She had vibrant tattoos on her forearms, featuring guitars and cowboy boots. "Wow, did you draw on your arm? Sam won't let me draw on my arm."

Dean laughed, but not in a mean way like he would have when Jack first crashed into their lives. "It's a tattoo, Jack. It is kind of like drawing, but with needles. You have to get an artist to do it. Want to see mine? Sammy has the same one."

Jack was fascinated by the star and the flames radiating from it. The kid was certainly getting the full human experience. Maybe this road trip would turn out to be a good idea after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** I have been up to my eyeballs in work since I last posted a chapter, sorry life got away from me! Fortunately for my writing, I am off for a few more days. Also, I got a laptop for Christmas! I must have been good!

Like most of the fandom at this point in time, I need some fluff. This story is going to be light on casefic content since it is mostly about the family relationships, but they are Winchesters so hunting will always be in the mix. I hope the case is entertaining enough. As usual, no beta, so please tell me if you see any mistakes. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The motel room was much nicer than they were used to. Jack ran to the bed and bounced on it, giggling. Cas followed, holding Jack's bag since he didn't have one of his own. Sam hung up the dry cleaning bag with the Fed suits and rummaged around in his bag for his dress shoes, which had just about worn out.

Dean entered last, holding his bag in one hand and a large soda cup in the other. Slurping loudly, Dean set the bag down. "I'm going to the precinct. Sam, get suited up and come with me."

"I've been reading up on this case, Dean. I have some ideas as to where we should go with it," Cas offered.

Sam went into the bathroom with his suit. "Why don't you take Cas?" he asked through the door.

Dean bristled. "Cas, you should stay here with the kid. I'm sure you guys need to get some angel work done."

Jack flopped on his stomach. "I'm tired of work. Can I watch TV?"

Dean looked back and forth between Cas and Jack. Sam could sense that he was conflicted. He didn't particularly want to be left alone with Jack, even if they probably would watch TV the whole time, and he definitely didn't want to be alone with Cas.

"Sam, why don't you and Dean go? I can write down my notes for you."

"Thanks, Cas."

Cas sat on the edge of the bed and scrawled out some notes on the motel stationery, explaining as he wrote. "The bodies have all been found rideshare vehicles. From what I can see, the wounds on the victim's necks are consistent with vampires, but there are other blunt force wounds as well. Vampires almost never use other weapons when they hunt."

"Weird. I've never heard of a vamp using another weapon." Sam flipped through the notes. "Thanks again, this is really going to help."

"We have to get going or we'll miss the detective. C'mon, Sam." Dean started moving toward the door, taking one last swig of his soda.

"Bye," said Jack, picking up the remote control and turning the TV on. The last thing Sam heard was Jack and Cas negotiating on what to watch.

Suited up, the two brothers headed for the precinct. It was only a couple blocks' walk, but halfway there, Sam started wishing they had brought the car. The temperature was hovering in the mid-90s, and the Fed suits were hot. Arriving at the police station, they checked their IDs and gave each other a quick once-over to make sure everything was in place.

When the automatic door opened, fresh cool air came rushing out. Sam stepped inside gratefully. Dean talked to the receptionist. He sweet-talked her into two bottles of cold water, which the brothers drank greedily.

They waited for twenty minutes, and then Dean started to get antsy. It was already five minutes till five. Finally, a nice-looking young woman came out to get them. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Agents."

"Not a problem," said Dean with a grin. "This is Agent Wilson, and I'm Agent Love. We're looking into those four deaths you have in your precinct."

"The Uber killer," the detective said with a sigh. "We've been trying to get DNA evidence from the bodies, but we're coming up short. It's also highly unusual that the victims have animal bites. From the autopsy results, you can see that the victims were bitten after they died."

"Creepy," Dean muttered to Sam.

"Is the body still with the medical examiner?"

"Yes, I believe they've got it until tomorrow."

"Can you put in a word for us and get them to keep it a little while longer? We need to get our guy in to review the autopsy tomorrow." Sam decided that he would have Cas examine the body, since sometimes his angelic senses revealed more information than they could gain on their own.

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm grateful for any help you can provide. This case has really got people spooked."

"Any connection between the rideshare drivers?"

"We've interviewed all four of the drivers who were registered to those cars. They are all independently claiming that their cars must have been stolen. This doesn't sound like the most believable circumstance, but their alibis checked out."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. This case was weird, but they had handled way weirder stuff. "Are the cars still being processed?" Sam was hoping they'd find a vampire fang or something.

"State Police Major Crimes has them. I could put in a word for you to see them tomorrow."

"Detective, you've been very helpful."

"Jennifer Wall," she said. "Here's my card."

After they left the precinct, they headed back to the motel. The afternoon hadn't cooled off.

"The Beach Boys, huh?"

Dean grinned. "Thought we were going to have to start branching out. All the good classic rock names are taken." He wiped his forehead. "State Police Major Crimes is in Jefferson City. Guess we'll have to go tomorrow."

"Too bad we don't have two cars or we could split up." Dean and Sam exchanged a look. Normally when they found themselves in this situation, they'd steal a car and get on with it, but with Jack around, it felt like the wrong thing to do.

"Jack and I will be fine tomorrow. You go down to Jefferson City with Cas."

"Why are you so pushy about me going off with Cas?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "You've been avoiding him ever since we got back from New Hampshire. We could really use Cas investigating the cars."

"So sending us a couple of hours down the road is going to magically fix everything? Hugging and crying?"

Sam was frustrated. He knew that Dean had done entirely too much hugging and crying lately for his own pride to suffer through. "You guys have to get past this. Even if nothing ends up happening between you guys-"

Dean cut him off with a raised hand. "I do not want to hear the rest of that thought. Butt out, Sam."

"Fine. Have it your way."

They walked in silence for about half a block. "I think the motel has a pool," Dean said, changing the subject. "I bet Jack would like to learn how to swim."

Sam smiled. "That's a great idea. I can run to the Target we saw on the way into town and get everybody some trunks. Cas too."

"That'll be the day," Dean scoffed.

The brothers immediately changed out of their Fed gear when they got back to the room. Sam wished he had brought some shorts. Jack was absorbed in an animal show on PBS. "Did you know that whales can live for hundreds of years? That's so cool!"

Sam ran his fingers through his sweaty hair in hopes of straightening it out. "Still not getting older than Cas, though."

"How old are you?"

"By human reckoning, three billion years, give or take." Jack's jaw dropped open. "I spent nearly all that time in Heaven. I've only been on Earth regularly for ten years."

"Were you around for all that creation stuff?"

Cas smiled. "Some. The universe had already been going for a while when my rank of angels were created. I'm a seraph. I was created at about the same time life appeared on Earth."

"That's so weird! Will I live that long?"

"We don't know. Your human side might limit your lifespan, but it might not. It varies even among nephilim. Since you're part archangel, I suspect that your lifespan will be very long."

"How long do humans live?"

Sam stepped in. "Up to a hundred years if they're lucky and healthy. Most people these days are eighty or eighty-five."

"That's hardly any time at all," Jack said, alarmed. "Who's going to take care of me?"

Sam sat down on the bed next to Jack and opened his arms. The little boy crawled into his lap. They could both use the reassurance. "You're going to grow up and take care of yourself, buddy."

"But you won't be here. Neither will Dean."

"I'll always be with you," Cas offered.

"You can't know that." Jack screwed his eyes shut. "You died before, what if you died again? You can't promise that."

Sometimes Jack was wise beyond his years and sometimes he was just as clueless as any seven-year-old kid. "Hey, would anyone like to go swimming?" Dean jumped in.

"Swimming?" Jack perked up. "Like in the bathtub?"

Sam patted his back. "It's like a big giant bathtub. Not as warm. You can float in the water and we can teach you how to swim."

"Yeah! I want to try it!"

"I'll go to Target and get everyone some trunks. Guess I should pick up some takeout, too. Jack, do you want to come?"

"Yes!"

"What is everyone in the mood for, dinner-wise?"

"Barbecue," Dean insisted. "KC is awesome for barbecue. Get burnt ends."

"That sound good, Cas?"

Cas blinked over his laptop. "Yes, I suppose. You know I don't need to eat anymore."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Cas had come back from the Empty fully "recharged" and with all of his faculties intact except for flying. "So bathing suits and barbecue? What to drink?"

"We have plenty of beer and soda."

"I'm getting milk."

Jack made a face. Dean was a terrible influence on the kid diet-wise. While it made Sam happy that Dean was having fun with Jack at last, he wished that "fun" didn't include sampling every flavor of soda known to man. Sam just had to make sure that he burned off all the extra energy and supplemented it with plenty of other nutritious foods.

"Bye guys, we're going," Sam called on the way out.

"Get me some loaded fries if you can get 'em."

"Anything you say, Dean."


	4. Chapter 4

**Note:** Bring on another fluff chapter! We might get to the plot in the next chapter. No promises, though.

* * *

Target was quiet at six o'clock on a weeknight. Jack ran up to Sam with a Star Wars Lego set. "Can I have these?"

"Not today, buddy. We're here for other stuff."

A disappointed Jack trailed along behind Sam. Now that Jack's powers were mostly under control, Sam felt confident that nothing weird would happen when they went out shopping. There had been a few incidents before Cas had returned, mostly involving Legos and other toys mysteriously appearing in the cart.

Jack claimed he hadn't consciously done it, but that he had wished for each thing. Sam was just glad that the kid hadn't manifested anything past the checkout line - he would feel bad about Jack shoplifting even if he hadn't meant to do it.

"C'mon, let's find swim trunks. Hey, look, Captain America!" Sam and Dean had already introduced Jack to the movies.

"Yay!" Jack grabbed the shorts. "He's cool! Are you going to get Captain America, too?"

Sam chuckled. "They don't make cool patterns like that in grown-up sizes. Ours are boring."

"I want to pick out trunks for Father and Dean."

"Definitely. Men's stuff is over here. Do you see the little letters on the hanger? Get letter Ms for both of them."

"Letter M," Jack repeated. He ducked into the middle of a rack of swim trunks, sorting through them from the inside. Sam remembered hiding in clothes racks with Dean when he was a kid, and he remembered Dad yelling at them when he finally found them.

"Got it! These are for Dean!" Jack ducked under the row of trunks and pushed a crazy neon yellow pair into Sam's hands. "And these are for Father!" He came up with a pink and green Hawaiian print. "I think they're pretty."

"Don't say that they're pretty in front of Dean," Sam said in a knee-jerk reaction.

"Why not?"

Sam swore at himself under his breath. He'd been trying to raise Jack without a rigid concept of what it meant to be a guy. He knew that he shouldn't let Dean get away with it either, but it was more trouble than it was worth to challenge his personal boundaries. Especially when he was challenging Dean's personal boundaries every day by insisting that he was into Cas.

"It's just one of Dean's weird things, okay? Cas won't care if you call them pretty." Jack nodded in agreement. "Some guys are just convinced that they are not supposed to like pretty things. It's weird, I know." Jack shrugged it off, and they continued their shopping.

They made it through the food aisles and into the dairy section before Jack spoke up again. "I want to know all about vampires," he announced, walking along beside the cart. Sam made a shushing motion at Jack as a soccer mom in athleisure wear gave them a long, suspicious stare.

"We can't talk about that here. Wait 'til we're in the car."

"Why?" Sam motioned to him to be quiet, and Jack followed, looking frustrated.

Sam stopped the cart in the sun care aisle, getting two big bottles of sunscreen. He wasn't sure whether they would need it tonight, but they would definitely need it at some point this summer. They spent too much of their time walled up underground, they were all kind of pasty. Cas wouldn't tan or burn.

"All ready?"

"Are you sure I can't get any toys?"

"Dude, you are going swimming. That is better than any toy."

"Really?"

"Just you wait."

With their Target bags and barbecue feast, Sam and Jack returned to the room. Dean was nowhere to be found. Figures, Sam thought.

"Where did Dean go?"

"He said he was going to get some ice, but he hasn't been back for a while."

Sam knew he was probably hiding somewhere else in the building. "I'll text him. He won't want to let his loaded fries get cold."

Dean showed up about five minutes after Sam texted him. His mood immediately improved when he saw the food. He swiped a fry through the sour cream on top. "You are awesome, Sammy. I don't tell you often enough, but you are awesome."

"I don't like this," Jack complained. He was holding a fry with sour cream on it just like Dean.

"That's okay. Plain fries are good enough. Right?"

"Sure, if you're lame." Dean pulled out his burnt ends sandwich and sat down with a huff of pleasure. "Now everyone be quiet so I can enjoy my food."

"I don't understand the appeal of something called 'burnt ends,'" Cas objected. "I understand that burning food is not socially acceptable."

Dean swallowed quickly. "They're not really burnt. It's the ends of the brisket cut. They're chopped up and cooked with barbecue sauce. You're missing out."

Castiel shot Dean a look of "if you say so" and returned to his cup of coffee.

"Jack, if you have questions about vampires, you can ask now. It's just the four of us."

"Why can't other people know about vampires?"

"People wouldn't believe it. They go on living like there's nothing going bump in the night. Most people are much happier living under a rock, believe it or not." Dean swiped at his face with a paper napkin. "That's why we have to pretend to be FBI agents when we start asking questions about cases."

"Why do vampires hurt people?"

This was a more difficult question. Sam thought for a few moments before he answered. "That's just the way they were made. They were created by an ancient being - Eve - don't worry, we killed her. She made all kinds of monsters. Vampires, werewolves, a lot more. It's their nature to feed on people."

"If it's their nature, how is it their fault?"

Dean answered, using a wet-nap on his fingers. "Because they hurt people, squirt. If people are dying, it's a hunter's duty to stop the monsters."

"Some vampires are able to feed on donated blood or on animals," Sam pointed out. "It's a matter of willpower more than anything." Grudgingly, Sam remembered that Benny claimed to have been on donated blood. He still had a sour feeling in his gut when he thought about Benny.

Jack looked thoughtful. He took a bite of his cheeseburger and chewed for a few seconds. "If we can talk all the monsters into not hurting people, can we stop killing them?"

Dean laughed. "If you can get that to work, buddy, be my guest."

"It's a viable idea," Castiel objected.

"It's one of your crazy idealistic things, Cas. You've been hunting for years, you know what these monsters are capable of. We don't have time to go around talking to every monster even if Jack can convince them to stop hurting people. The world is too big and there are too many damn bloodsuckers out there."

"Who is excited to swim?" Sam asked, hoping to derail the conversation.

"Me!" Jack jumped up.

"You gotta wait a half-hour before you get in the water or you could get a cramp. That's what Mom always said."

Sam and Dean exchanged guilty looks. With everything that had been going on with Jack, their mission to save their mom from the alternate universe had been put on hold. They had to at least try to reach their Mom. Now that Cas was back, and Jack was learning to use his powers, maybe it wouldn't be too long until they could try.

"Knowing you guys, it'll take half an hour to get ready to go down to the pool anyway." Dean packed his leftovers lovingly in the mini-fridge. "Don't let me forget those are in there."

Sam rummaged through the Target bag. "Here's your trunks," he said to Dean. The insane highlighter yellow made him blink. "And yours." He passed the floral pair to Cas. Dean couldn't stop laughing.

"What's so humorous about these shorts?"

"They're so girly, dude. Not that I don't think you can carry it off."

"Pretty things don't have to be girly," Jack said in a prim voice. "That's what Sam told me. He also said that you have a problem with boys who like pretty stuff."

Dean gaped at Sam. "I never said that. If you like them, go for it. It's just that they would look stupid on me."

"Then you should be fine with Cas wearing them," Jack insisted.

"I have no gendered expectations of what I should be wearing. They're attractive shorts, Jack. Thank you."

Sam had to stifle his laugh. Jack looked pleased with himself, and Dean had gotten over his huff by the time they got downstairs and outside to the pool.

There was another family at the pool, a little girl about Jack's age with her parents and one older brother. Sam winced. Jack had never been around "normal" kids before. He prayed that nothing would go wrong. Had they even taught Jack to blend into this kind of setting? Sam was afraid that they were going to learn the hard way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note:** I didn't like the first version of this chapter so I pitched it and I'm starting again. Thanks for all your kind comments! For people who are commenting as guests, thank you as well! (If you want to see something serious that I've written, check out my Harry Potter AU series that is full of death and mayhem.)

* * *

When Jack saw the little girl sitting on the steps that led into the pool, he tugged on Sam's hand. "Can I go say hi?"

"Don't go in the water without a grown-up, but sure." _Remember, no monsters or angels,_ he prayed.

Jack just gave Sam a dirty look and approached the little girl.

"Hi! I'm Jack! What's your name?"

"Alyssa," the little girl said cheerfully. Her long red hair fell over her shoulder in a wet ponytail. "Where are you from?"

"The bunker. It's in Kansas." Jack looked back toward Sam, who had entered the water and had waded close enough to hear their conversation. "That's my father over there." He pointed out Cas, who was sitting in a lounge chair looking uncomfortable. He hadn't taken off his t-shirt. And that's Sam." Sam waved from the water.

"Who's that with the sunglasses?"

"Oh, that's just Dean. He's Sam's brother."

Jack sat down on the edge of the pool, looking at Sam for permission, and dangled his feet in the water. "That water feels nice! I've never been swimming before."

Alyssa looked surprised. "Really? How old are you?"

_You're seven,_ Sam prayed urgently.

"Seven. There are a lot of things I haven't done yet." Jack looked downcast.

"Do you want to play ball with me?"

"Yes! I know how to play ball!" Jack grinned at Sam in excitement.

Alyssa gave him a curious look and got out of the water to retrieve the ball from her mom. Jack looked excitedly at Sam. Sam swam closer and encouraged Jack to step down into the pool. "It won't be that deep here but you need to stay close to me. Remember about your nose and mouth."

Sam felt incredibly nervous watching Alyssa and Jack play with the beach ball. Having Jack around another kid for the first time just drew a huge contrast between his life and the normal life he wished he could provide for him.

Sam took his eyes off Jack for a second and saw Dean and Cas sitting on adjacent lounge chairs, not speaking. "Screw it, I'm getting in the water," said Dean, taking off his sunglasses. "Watch the room key, ok Cas?"

A look of mischief crossed Dean's face. He took three running steps and executed a huge cannonball into the water. The splash reached Alyssa's mom, and she gave Sam a displeased look. "Sorry," Sam said hastily.

Jack threw the striped ball back to Alyssa, who was laughing because her mother had gotten wet. "C'mon Father, I want you to get in the water too. I'll let you play ball with us."

Cas looked conflicted. "Dean told me to watch the room key."

"It'll be fine," Dean told him. "You should get in. The water's nice."

Without taking off his T-shirt, Castiel lowered himself into the water. A pleased expression crossed his face. Cas didn't tread water or float when he got in, he just lowered himself in until only the top of his head was visible. He stayed under for longer than most people could hold their breath.

"Weirdo," Dean said with a sigh. "C'mon, Cas. You have to swim."

Cas simply walked into shallower water. The top of his head had stayed dry. "The temperature is pleasant," he agreed. "I don't know how to swim."

"Something they didn't put in your database? What a big surprise. C'mon, I'll show you a couple of tricks."

"First I need to play ball with Jack. Then you can show me what to do."

"Be my guest," said Dean, treading water.

Suddenly Jack's body twisted. His face fell into the water, and Sam rushed forward to scoop him out. Jack screamed. Alyssa backed up with fear in her eyes and half-walked, half-swam back to the steps.

"Jack!" Cas shouted and floundered toward them.

"Is your son all right?" Alyssa's dad called. Sam couldn't answer. Jack's eyes shone brilliant yellow and a strange pressure filled the air. Sam just held him close.

"Take a breath," Sam encouraged, "You're okay." Jack clamped onto him and Sam could feel him trembling.

"Jack," Cas said in a worried voice. He touched Jack's face, and Jack suddenly let go of Sam in favor of hanging onto Cas. Sam couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest, even though he knew that Jack needed another angel to help him.

Alyssa's family made a quiet move to get all of their stuff together and leave the pool. Sam couldn't even begin to imagine what they were thinking. Cas could have altered their memories, but he wasn't going to be able to get close enough to touch them.

"Do you want to get out?"

Jack was shivering. "Yeah. I want to go back to the room."

While Sam dried him off with the scratchy hotel towel, Jack looked heartbroken. Sam lifted the towel and dried Jack's hair. Normally that made Jack giggle, but he was beyond that right then.

"Go change into dry pajamas," Sam said, "I'll get you some milk and then you'll feel better."

Dean confronted Cas. "Okay, what was that? It happened twice before you came back. When we were in the bunker, he broke all the light bulbs and knocked the power out."

"I believe it's angel radio," Cas said, looking tired. He hadn't taken his wet clothes off, and his T-shirt dripped on the floor. "I will have to teach him how to block it. It can be uncomfortable for me, but I don't know why it's affecting him so badly."

"What were they saying on angel radio, anyway?

Cas started stripping off his wet T-shirt. "It wasn't about us so I didn't pay attention. I had too much else to worry about."

Dean rubbed his forehead. "For God's sake, Cas, wait and get changed in the bathroom like a normal person."

Cas ignored Dean, pulling the T-shirt up and over his head. He left it in a wet pile in the middle of the floor. Dean resolutely turned away from Cas and picked his clothes up off the bed.

Jack came out of the bathroom with his wet trunks in one hand. "Just squeeze those out and hang them up in the bathroom," Sam suggested, "I'll take care of it later."

As Cas and Dean took turns getting dressed, Jack curled up on his side in the middle of Sam's bed. Sam rested a hand on the little boy's back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I scared her away," Jack said in a tiny voice. "I never had anyone to play with before, and I scared her. I don't want to be weird, Sam."

Sam's heart squeezed tight. He felt for Jack. "I never fit in as a kid, either. We didn't live in one place for long enough. I sometimes got to play with kids for a while, but I never really made any friends. I'm sorry this first try didn't work out."

Jack sat up and crawled into Sam's lap. "I"m never going to be normal, am I?"

Sam held him and put his face in his damp hair. He smelled like chlorine. "You're too special to be normal, buddy. If I could change it and make you human, I would."

Cas sat down awkwardly on the bed. "I'll help you learn to control it, Jack."

Dean came back from getting changed and combed his hair with his fingers. "I think we all need to be cheered up around here."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Sam kissed Jack's damp head. "Someone go get dessert and we'll watch a movie."

"Can I pick the movie?"

"Sure." Dean gave the kid a smile. "I'll be right back."

The little family spent the rest of their evening eating apple pie and watching Star Wars. By the time Luke left Tatooine, Jack was fast asleep with his head on Cas's shoulder. "This family hunting trip thing is turning out to be harder than I thought," Sam confessed.

"There are always complications," Cas said quietly.

Dean spoke up. "How are we going to get through this? Should someone take Jack home?"

"I'll stay with him," Cas said, "If he's having trouble controlling his angelic abilities, I'm the only one who can help him. You and Dean can handle the case without me."

That was probably true, but Sam knew that Cas's extra senses could speed things up for them when it came to the bodies and the car. Still, it couldn't be helped. 'That's okay, Cas. Do you want to stay here or go back to the bunker?"

"I can't fly, and you need the car," Cas pointed out. "Jack can probably fly, but it would be unwise to try at this point. We'll stay here."

"We're gonna need a different motel, though." Dean finished his last piece of pie with a satisfied belch. "If that kid's family starts talking, we could be in trouble. "I'll look for another hotel in the morning. For now, we should all get some sleep," Dean quirked an eyebrow at Cas. "Except you, obviously."

Sam had a tough time getting to sleep. They had put Jack down on the loveseat with a blanket, and he seemed to be sleeping well. Cas sat at the side table, reading by the light on his phone. Dean snored away in the other bed. Sam heaved out a huge breath and swung his long legs out of bed. "Something wrong?" Cas asked.

"I just can't get to sleep. Do you have Dad's journal? At least I can do some research.

"I believe it's in Dean's bag."

Sam unzipped Dean's duffel and pulled out the worn, leather-bound journal. Underneath it, he found a Lego kit still in the box. Dean had bought Jack a present. Sam smiled and tucked the toy back in the bag. The kid might need a distraction while he and Dean were gone.

"What are you researching?" Sam asked in a half-whisper.

"There's a treatise about the overlap of ghouls and vampires. It seems like we may be dealing with some sort of hybrid."

"Okay, I'll look and see if Dad found anything like that." Sam flipped Dad's journal open.


	6. Chapter 6

**Note:** Casefic-heavy chapter. I know nothing about the law enforcement system in Missouri so please suspend your disbelief for me. Thanks!

* * *

In the morning, Sam and Dean left before Jack was awake. They moved around the motel room as quietly as possible, getting into their Fed suits, packing their research material, and strategizing about the case. On the loveseat, Jack took a deep breath and rolled over onto his stomach, with his head half-lying on his sequined turtle.

"Text us if anything happens. You guys can just have a quiet day, right? There's a diner down the street." Sam gathered up his things.

Cas replied in his low voice. "I'll be in touch. Don't worry, Sam."

The open road was clear of traffic in the early morning. They had a two and a half-hour drive to Jefferson City to see the cars, then they planned to double back to Kansas City to see the bodies. It meant a great deal of wasted time, but there was no way around it if they weren't going to steal a car. It was mostly a straight shot down I-70.

Dean was calmer than usual during the drive. Sam wondered if he were worried about Jack or just relaxing into this familiar situation. Sam lay his head back against the headrest and looked up into the blue morning sky. He had spent so much of his life in Dean's passenger seat. He often got the itch to drive, but to be truthful, he didn't really mind the chance to gather his thoughts. Not that it was usually easy to do so with Dean's loud music and even louder commentary.

"Cas said something crazy about a ghoul and vampire hybrid," Sam told Dean. "I thought that was fishy, so I looked into Dad's journal. He did run a case like this one while you guys were hunting alone."

"When you were at Stanford."

"Yeah. He said the teeth marks from a ghoul were pretty easy to tell apart from a vampire. His case ended up being a vamp nest that just had a habit of being messy eaters."

"What are we going to look for car-wise?"

Dean and Sam talked about the case for the rest of the ride. Sam's thoughts often returned to Jack, but Cas didn't call or text. When they reached the Major Crimes unit, they checked in with their badges and confirmed that the Kansas City detective had vouched for them.

The cars were parked in a warehouse with bright fluorescent lights that buzzed loudly overhead. Sam was afraid they would give him a migraine if he were there too long. "These four cars here," the examiner told them, "They've got some weird damage. Both interior and exterior. I hope you can make heads or tails of it."

Sam thanked her and moved on to scrutinize the car. "I'll take the front seat, you take the back," Dean suggested. They got down on their hands and knees and scrutinized every inch of the car, taking photos when needed. The only thing they found in the front seat that was of interest was a deep gash in the plastic upholstery on the passenger side door.

"That looks like an angel blade did it," Dean said, "What kind of ghoul-vampire dude would have an angel blade? This shit keeps getting weirder."

"Look at this," Sam said, poring over the back seat with a small UV flashlight. "There's bloodstains, but there's also something else. Looks like it's been wiped up but not fully cleaned."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. They didn't know what to make of the car. "We're going to need the test results from the forensics team to find out what the other stain was from. Can you go in and get someone?" Dean asked. "I want to look under the back seat in car number four again."

On the way into the building, Sam texted Cas. _Any changes?_

_We're having a normal day. Jack wasn't pleased when he woke up and you weren't here, but we are doing well. He ate a good breakfast and now he's reading one of the books you gave him._

_Thanks for putting my mind at ease, Cas._

_Any time. What about the case?_

_Getting weirder if you can believe it. We'll call on the way back to KC._

The forensics department handed over a lengthy list of substances that were found in the cars. One of the liquids was coffee, oddly enough. The blood mostly matched the victims found in each car, but there were splashes of someone else's blood as well. Defensive action? Sam wondered.

"Where were the victims found?" Sam asked, going over the forensics report one more time to see whether he'd missed anything.

"They were all found in the back seats of the cars. One was sitting up and wore a seatbelt and the others were slumped over."

"Do you have the drivers' logs?"

"I can get them for you. Wait here."

Dean stood up and wiped his hands on his pants. He had been crawling around the exterior of the cars, looking for more damage. "All I found on the exterior were long vertical scratches on the doors, sharp object again. Probably the same one that gashed up the interior."

"We could really use Cas right about now."

"Yeah, we could."

After filling their phones with photos of all of the damage and making copies of all of the reports, Sam and Dean got ready to leave the warehouse around lunchtime.

"If you agents have any leads, give us a call, or pass them along to Detective Wall in Kansas City. Maybe if we put our heads together on this case we can crack it."

"Thanks for your help today," Dean said, "We'll do our best. We're going up to take a look at the bodies now."

"Good luck."

"What do you want for lunch?" Dean asked as he climbed into Baby.

"I kind of just want to get back to Cas and Jack."

"Dude, you have to eat. Don't you want a salad or something?"

"I could just get a sandwich."

"Well, I want an actual meal, call me crazy. Look, can you put up with Biggerson's? Or Denny's?"

Sam made a face. Chain restaurant food was not his favorite, but when they were in a new town, it was sometimes too much trouble to go through Yelp to find a good place. "Okay, Biggerson's it is. Just don't get anything with the word 'slammer' in the name."

Dean shot Sam an offended look. "C'mon, let's just eat and not bring up nauseating stuff like that."

"Putting you off your food? That'll be the day."

Inside the restaurant, they asked for a table and were quickly greeted by a short guy with scraggly brown hair and a huge smile. "Sam! Dean!"

"Garth, what the hell? Good to see you, man!"

"I heard about Castiel," Garth said in a serious voice, squeezing both of Dean's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, man."

"Actually, he's alive." Garth looked at Sam in disbelief. "Came back a couple weeks ago. Not sure how."

"Wow! I bet you're happy," Garth said, punching Dean lightly in the shoulder. "Come sit down. I've been working this weird case from Kansas City. Somebody went around stealing Uber cars and offing the passengers."

"Wild coincidence, that's what we're working on too. Just finished looking at the cars." Dean pulled a chair out. The remains of Garth's extra-rare steak were on the table. "Dude, was that thing still mooing?"

"Can't do deer heart all the time, I'm on a case."

Dean laughed. "You should have just gone to the supermarket and gotten it raw to go."

Garth appeared to consider this. "Anyway, you guys need to tell me everything you've found out. Maybe we can put our heads together like we used to back in the day."

The three men hashed out the details of the case as they understood it, trying to keep the gory details as quiet as possible to avoid putting the other patrons of Biggerson's off their food.

"I haven't talked to you guys in ages. Anything else new going on?"

"Our mom came back… but now she's gone. And we're taking care of a kid."

"What happened to your mom?"

Sam tried to explain Amara's gift and the alternate universe thing as well as possible, considering that there were interested civilians around them and the fact that they'd be there all night if he were to get into too much detail.

"Wow. I'm so sorry, guys. Who's this kid you're talking about?"

Dean and Sam glanced at each other. "He's a nephilim. Lucifer's kid actually," Dean said, trying to sound casual. "We've had him ever since he was born, though. Sam has been an awesome Mr. Mom. I'm just the fun uncle along for the ride."

"Isn't that dangerous? Jeez, it sounds dangerous."

"Cas is with him right now. Trying to get his powers straightened out. So far he hasn't shown any signs of Lucifer's influence, but you know how these things are."

Garth laughed out loud. "I know how these things are? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

Dean laughed too, but Sam wiped a hand over his forehead. After his sleepless night, he was exhausted.

"Come to Kansas City with us," Dean offered unexpectedly. Garth had always kind of gotten on Dean's nerves, but his extra werewolf perception would be very helpful with the bodies.

Garth agreed happily, and they set out in two cars. Miraculously, Garth was still driving the dilapidated station wagon he had the last time he crossed paths with the brothers. The car made unhappy noises and belched out clouds of smoke from the tailpipe.

The drive back to Kansas City was more frustrating than the ride to Jefferson City. Dean clenched the steering wheel and leaned forward. "Where did all these cars come from? And what is this construction bullshit, they have two lanes blocked off and there are no crews anywhere!"

"You're driving like somebody's grandma," Sam pointed out. "Next you're going to turn on the easy listening station."

"Shut up, Sam."

Sam's phone buzzed, and he read the incoming text from Cas. _Running into some trouble here. Would appreciate it if you could make it back to the motel soon._

Sam's heart pounded as he answered. _Any specifics?_

_There's something you need to see._

Sam put his phone down and turned to Dean. "We have to get there faster. Cas says we need to get back to the motel as quickly as we can."

"The kid?" Sam nodded. "I'll get off the highway and take the back roads. Has to be faster than this construction crap. Don't worry, if it were anything really serious, Cas would have said so." Sam couldn't help but worry, and he prayed that everything was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note:** Did you know there's a nightclub name generator? Me neither! Blend of fluff and casework in this chapter. Short one this time. I also wasn't sure whether Cas and Garth had met before the beginning of Season 13.

* * *

Sam put his keycard in the slot with shaking hands. Despite Dean's assurances that nothing too serious must have happened, Sam was incredibly worried. He opened the door and found that the chain was on. "Cas," he said, "Open up, it's us."

The chain rattled against the door as it opened. Standing in the entryway was a tall, rangy teenager with floppy hair and a distressed expression. Sam had only a second to be surprised before Jack threw his arms around him. Sam brought his arms up to circle Jack's shoulders, patting the back of his head.

"It's okay, buddy," Sam said, his voice starting to break. "You're okay. I've got you."

"Guys, let's move into the room, okay?" came Dean's voice from behind them.

Jack let go of Sam and the two of them moved to the couch. Cas sat at the side table, closing his laptop. "I hope I didn't scare you when I asked you to come back. I know it wasn't exactly unexpected, but it startled us both. Jack took a nap after lunch and when he woke up-" Cas motioned toward Jack, who was burrowing his face into Sam's shoulder.

"Hi," Garth said, coming awkwardly into the room. "Castiel, right?" Cas tilted his head.

"Cas and Jack, this is our friend Garth. He was looking into the case too."

"You did know that he's a werewolf?" Cas pointed out.

Garth laughed. "Oh, yeah. They know." Jack lifted his face from Sam's shoulder, looking startled. "It's okay. My pack and I don't attack people."

"I told you it was possible!" Jack sounded pleased with himself.

Dean went for the mini-fridge and grabbed a beer. "Anyone else want one?" No one spoke up. He cracked the bottle open and took a long drink.

"Guess we really have to get a new motel room now," Sam said. "Are you okay?" he asked Jack.

"I feel okay. It's just weird to get used to this body." Jack sat up and ran his hands through his hair. Sam recognized the gesture as one of his own and smiled. "At least this time there were clothes I could wear. Dean's clothes are a little big on me though."

"I've got a belt you can wear," Sam assured him. "We'll have to go get you some of your own things."

Dean looked at his watch. "Guys, we're going to have to get to the medical examiner's office soon. It's quarter past four. Cas, I'd really appreciate it if you could take a look at the bodies."

"Of course."

Dean and Garth filled Cas in on the case as it stood. "It doesn't sound like either a ghoul or a vampire," Cas said, getting up to put his phone in his pocket. "It's quite curious. Have their tests on the blood come back yet?"

"Yeah, all four victims and a fourth person. DNA screenings are still being done, though."

"That can take a while. We need to get this case closed out before it happens again."

"I can help with the case," Jack spoke up.

"No, you can't," Dean scoffed, "Dude, this morning you were seven years old."

Jack flushed bright red. "I can do research. I've learned enough from watching you guys."

Sam put his hand on Jack's arm. "That would be great. You can listen to the police scanner and see whether anything else is going on today. You can look into the victims' backgrounds too. See if they have anything in common."

Cas handed Jack the laptop. Dean looked alarmed and reached to grab it away from Jack. "Just a minute," he said, carrying the laptop to the bed and closing several tabs.

Sam chuckled. They were going to have to get Jack his own laptop so Dean didn't accidentally corrupt him. "Okay, we're good now."

"Garth, I think you should go to the medical examiner's office too," Sam suggested. "I'll stay here with Jack."

"Look for another motel and we'll change rooms when we get back." Dean went to the mirror and fixed his tie. "We ready?"

On the way out, Dean reached over and messed with Jack's hair. "Be good and don't screw up my laptop."

When Cas, Dean, and Garth had gone, Sam sat back on his bed and stretched his legs. "Are you really okay?" he asked Jack.

The teenager had already opened Dean's laptop and was tapping away. "I think so. Is it normal to be super hungry?"

"Yeah, when I was a teenager I was starving all the time. There's some leftovers in the fridge."

"Those are Dean's," Jack said, "He'll kill me."

"I think you're safe at this point."

Jack stood helplessly in front of the microwave with a plate of barbecue leftovers. "You're going to have to tell me how to use this thing."

The late lunch satisfied Jack for the time being, and they went back to their research. "Listen, I found a connection between the victims. Besides that they were all Uber passengers. They were all picked up from a nightclub downtown."

"Thanks Jack, that's great."

Jack came to sit on the bed beside Sam, laying his head on his shoulder. He was so tall now. "I'm sorry I grew up."

"Don't be sorry. I know you're not exactly in control of it."

"I am, though. I was thinking about being older. Then I could be more useful to you guys."

"You don't have to be useful," Sam said, "You're just here to be you."

"I heard you talking about going to rescue your mom."

"Not until you're ready, Jack."

"I just know how sad I would be without you and Dean and Father. I don't want you to feel that way anymore."

"You're a good kid," Sam said into Jack's hair. He kissed the top of his head, which still smelled faintly of chlorine.

Jack sat up. "So if Garth is a werewolf, why are you friends with him?"

Sam explained about Garth. That led to other questions about which monsters could turn a person. They were still talking about it when Dean, Garth, and Cas returned to the room.

"We've run into a problem," said Cas, taking off his trenchcoat. Sam was still impressed that he could wear the thing when it was close to a hundred degrees outside. "The bite marks are human."

"Human?" Jack recoiled.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that the killer is human. Plenty of monsters have teeth that appear human. Demons, shapeshifters-" Cas started to explain.

"That means we're back at square one," said Dean, going to pick up his half-finished beer from the top of the TV cabinet. "But we should consider the fact that the killer might be human."

"That makes things a lot more complicated," Garth said, coming to sit down on the couch. "It would have been easier if we could have narrowed it down to a ghoul or a vampire."

"What if it does turn out to be human?" Jack wanted to know.

"I obviously don't want anyone else to get hurt, but human serial killers aren't our area." Dean sat down in the desk chair. "What did you find, squirt?"

Jack opened the laptop. "All of the victims were getting rides home from a nightclub. It's called Obsidian."

"Sounds like a good night for a stakeout," said Garth. "We probably don't need to get there before ten o'clock or so."

"All the victims were picked up after midnight," Jack confirmed.

"That gives us time to swap rooms and have dinner."

"Good, I'm starving."

"Again?" Sam laughed.

"Hey, who ate my barbecue?" Dean was aggrieved.

They still had to pay for the room at the La Quinta since they were checking out after eleven. That put Dean in an even worse mood. "It's your turn with the credit cards when we get home," he told Sam as they were walking out to the cars.

The other motel wasn't as nice and it didn't have a pool. They could afford to get two rooms, though, since Jack couldn't sleep on a tiny couch anymore. Jack insisted that he wanted to room with Sam, leaving Cas and Dean together. Garth decided to get his own room since he wanted to stick around for the rest of the hunt.

'I'm a bad roommate," Dean announced to Cas. "You might want to pick somebody else."

"I've observed your sleep patterns many times. I don't think you'll bother me any more than usual."

Jack and Sam laughed. "Ganging up on me, fine. Let's find some dinner."


End file.
